To Have and to Hold: The Making of Same-Sex Marriage in South Africa


Editors: Melanie Judge, Anthony Manion & Shaun de Waal

Publisher: Fanele, an imprint of Jacana
Media ISBN: 9781920196059
Format: paperback
Pages: 354 pp

Visit Jacana's website if you would like to purchase a hardcopy of the book.

On 30 November 2006, South Africa became the world's fifth country and Africa's first to legalise marriage for same­ sex couples. To Have and To Hold: The Making of Same­ Sex Marriage in South Africa explores the complex journey leading up to this historic legislative reform. By bringing together interviews, essays and documents, the collection recognises the multiplicity of viewpoints on the topic, as well as the multiple aspects and efforts that shaped the making of same ­sex marriage in South Africa. It seeks to represent those perspectives by drawing on the opinions of a wide range of experts as well as representing those for whom the reform holds the most meaning – the people whose marriages can now be legally recognised.

Whether the attainment of the right to marry and the Civil Union Act itself should warrant celebration or circumspection is examined through various essays by academics, attorneys, researchers, activists and others. The book explores the national debate on the topic and the consequences of the legislation.

The combination of historical documents, personal reflections, and academic and activist analyses of same­-sex marriage makes To Have and To Hold invaluable for understanding this historic journey and its legal, social, cultural and religious ramifications.